From the old Mahabharata - to the new Ramayana-order

Abstract

[...]most of the Javanese mass following of the P.K.I. were undeniably abangan, or "red", in the old socio-religious sense of that word, which may have made it easier for their adversaries, the "kaum putihan", or santri, to identify the former with "reds" in the sense of the modern political meaning given to that colour in all its shades. [...]this hypothesis and a hypothesis it will remain, since any likely witnesses for or against are bound to remain as silent as the proverbial grave from sheer shame or fear is in no way at variance with the view that the Javanese and Balinese are on the whole exceedingly tolerant, as they have no choice but to be in over-populated Central and East Java and Central Bali, for that matter. In other words, the mood of the one epic is optimistic, and the other pessimistic. [...]the Ramayana is idealistic in purport because the point at issue in it is the love and loyalty between husband and wife. [...]the Ramayana is psychologically more subtle in the contrast it brings out between the two factions. 32 The historian A. Lapian was able to quote two instances of this, of which information I have gratefully made use here.